Monday, January 31, 2011

So it is pretty snowy here in New England- and there is more to come this week! We are running out of places to put all of it- you can only move it so far with a shovel or "regular" snow blower. The piles were so large at the end of our driveway that we couldn't see when pulling on to the street. Stan, my husband, works for a local dealership that sells landscaping equipment- sooo........he borrowed a tractor/snow plow/industrial snow blower!! We had a little roadside neighborhood party when Stan pulled up with the tractor- got everyone to move their cars and Stan was also able to widen our VERY snow-narrowed street.

Thankfully, Stan works right down the road from our house, so when he was done....he drove it right back to the shop (with me following in the car so he didn't have to walk home!)

So how do we say THANKS for letting us borrow this nifty little machine? I made a card for the shop owner!

Here is what I used:

Cricut "Joys of the Season" Cartridge - Polar Bear Cut- All of these cuts were made with the "flip" feature on- the bear was originally looking to the right- I made him so he would look to the left.

2 inch bear shadow cut in light blue

2 inch regular bear cut in white

2 inch layer cut in bright blue

DCWV "Winter Collection" Card - Size A2- in Blue

K & Company layered snowflake accent (Meg snagged both the cards and the layered snowflakes on clearance at JoAnn Fabrics for almost nothing!)

One border strip, 1/2 inch x 5 inch with one side cut with a wavy pattern

Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter

Zip Glue Pens

Adhesive Tape Runner

Black fine point pen

Assorted Cricut tools

Layer up the polar bear, use the black pen to accent the eye and nose on the bear and place it on the card. I did not use any dimensional dots on the bear since the snowflake is a double layer accent. I chose to write the saying on the "snow" but you could place it anywhere really.

Just to add a little extra something- I put some fine crystal glitter on the bears feet. Just to make them a little different from the "snow"!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

I got to spend most of the day today in my craft corner- with my Kringle Candle Hot Chocolate Candle - which has made me one happy camper! I have my Valentine's Day cards almost done- they are just waiting on my order of My Pink Stamper Stamps! My order, along with Meg's should be here this week and I can't wait!

These were fairly easy cards to make- the photos were taken on my cell phone- so hopefully they are clear enough for you to see the detail.

Assorted Cricut tools for removing cuts from the mat and folding the cards

5x4 White Stock Cards (I like the pre-made cards because they are readily availble in the craft store and come with envelopes!)

I like to set my projects up "assembly line" style. I cut everything, piece the parts together if needed and then put it all togehter at the end.

The first thing I did since it takes a little bit to dry was to to take the 2 1/2 inch white heart and spray it with the Glimmer Mist. Because you are wetting the paper- it will curl. My little trick with this is to take a old cricut mat and line up the items you are going to spray on the mat. Sometimes the mats are not sticky enough to hold the paper while the machine cut, but they are still sticky enough to hold them while the mist dries. If your misted paper still starts to curl, just tuck them under a book for a few minutes after they are dry.

Now, lets start putting the pieces together!

﻿Before I put the heart on, I used some of my Dimensional Foam Adhesives. Just remember- the thicker your card- the more it will cost to mail (if you are mailing it) so you might want to take it to the post office and have them check. You dont want your hard work coming back to you for more postage!

And here is our finished project! Well almost finshed anway- I need my Pink Stamper Stamp set to come so I can finish the front! To the right of the heart, I plan to use the stamp that says "All you need is love - John Lennon". Just deciding if I want to use red or black ink....

It is hard to see the glimmer mist accent in the pictures, but those who receive the card will notice!

﻿

This project didnt take long at all to complete. Everyone will think it did- but it didnt! And I think the people who are getting them will really enjoy them. Its alwasy so nice to get a homemade card!﻿

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching! I'll be working on some Valentine's Day cards this afternoon and will be sure to post some photos! I'm excited to see how these cards will come together- and if they will be as cool in person as they are in my head! I'm sure we all have those moments when our big plans don't always come out the way we want them too! We will see!!!